Science & Tech

The Innovation Forum, an annual presentation of technology developed by the University's professors, graduate students and researchers, is sponsored by the Keller Center and the Office of Technology Licensing. Now celebrating its 10th year, the forum has helped launch a wide range of projects from new biomedical devices to high-tech imagers and cameras.

By Catherine Shen for the Office of Engineering Communications Â· Posted March 2, 2015; 01:00 p.m.

At the Keller Center's 10th annual Innovation Forum on Feb. 25, Mark Esposito, a Princeton University graduate student in molecular biology took the top prize with his pitch for a method to stop the spread of cancer.

The 3-D printing scene, a growing favorite of do-it-yourselfers, has spread to the study of plasma physics. With a series of experiments, researchers at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have found that 3-D printers can be an important tool in laboratory environments.

By Staff Â· Posted February 20, 2015; 01:45 p.m.

Princeton University was one of 12 institutions nationwide to receive a total of $56 million in funds from the National Science Foundation to support Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs). The award renews the NSF's existing support for the Princeton Center for Complex Materials (PCCM) through October 2020, and includes $6.39 million for at least the first two years.

A new video series features the work of Princeton University graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher working in Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, one of the world's most biologically rich habitats. The videos show how the park provides researchers with invaluable and unforgettable field experience, as well as an opportunity to revive a vast wilderness in critical need of help.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted February 11, 2015; 02:30 p.m.

Researchers from Princeton University and Uppsala University in Sweden have identified a gene in the GalÃ¡pagos finches studied by English naturalist Charles Darwin that influences beak shape and that played a role in the birds' evolution from a common ancestor more than 1 million years ago. The study illustrates the genetic foundation of evolution, including how genes can flow from one species to another, and how different versions of a gene within a species can contribute to the formation of entirely new species.

Princeton University research suggests that termite mounds can help prevent the spread of deserts into semi-arid ecosystems and agricultural lands. The results not only suggest that termite mounds could make these areas more resilient to climate change than previously thought, but could also inspire a change in how scientists determine the possible effects of climate change on ecosystems.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted January 15, 2015; 03:00 p.m.

Princeton University researchers have built a rice grain-sized microwave laser, or "maser," powered by single electrons that demonstrates the fundamental interactions between light and moving electrons. It is a major step toward building quantum-computing systems out of semiconductor materials.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted January 6, 2015; 01:15 p.m.

SPIDER, a stratospheric spacecraft constructed primarily in Princeton's Jadwin Hall, was successfully launched Jan. 1 from Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf. Borne by a helium-filled balloon, SPIDER will orbit Earth at roughly 120,000 feet for 20 days looking for the pattern of gravitational waves produced by the fluctuation of energy and density that resulted from the Big Bang.

A definitive geological timeline from Princeton University researchers shows that a series of massive volcanic explosions 66 million years ago played a role in the extinction event that claimed Earth's non-avian dinosaurs, and challenges the dominant theory that a meteorite impact was the sole cause of the extinction.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent to a novel technique and device for pasteurizing eggs developed by engineers at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The award marks the 27th patent granted to PPPL inventors since 1994.

By B. Rose Huber, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs Â· Posted November 24, 2014; 02:10 p.m.

A team led by researchers from Princeton University, Michigan State University and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences has confirmed the discovery of a new bird species more than 15 years after the elusive animal was first seen on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

A study led by Princeton University researchers found that one of the world's most prolific bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, manages to afflict humans, animals and even plants by way of a mechanism not before seen in any infectious microorganism — a sense of touch.

Cancer constantly wages war on the human body. Battles are won, lost or sometimes end in a stalemate. This stalemate, known as tumor dormancy, is extremely difficult to study in both cellular and animal models.Â A new computational model developed in the laboratory of Salvatore Torquato, a professor of chemistry at Princeton University, offers a way to probe the conditions surrounding tumor dormancy and the switch to a malignant state.

By Staff Â· Posted October 27, 2014; 09:00 a.m.

Sankaran Sundaresan, a Princeton University professor of chemical and biological engineering, has been chosen to receive a Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, in recognition of lifetime achievements in research.Â The award is presented to up to 100 non-German scientists each year who are nominated by their peers in Germany. Sundaresan, whose work involves transport phenomena and process engineering, is invited to spend up to a year cooperating on a long-term research research project with colleagues at an institution in Germany.

Researchers from Princeton University and other institutions may have hit upon an answer to a climate-change puzzle that has eluded scientists for years, namely why glaciers in the Karakoram range of the Himalayas have remained stable and even increased in mass while glaciers nearby and worldwide have been receding. Understanding the "Karakoram anomaly" could help gauge the future availability of water for hundreds of millions of people.

When it comes to the brain, "more is better" seems like an obvious assumption. But in the case of synapses, which are the connections between brain cells, too many or too few can both disrupt brain function. Researchers from Princeton University and the University of California-San Diego recently found an immune-system protein that moonlights in the nervous system to help regulate the number of synapses, and could play an unexpected role in conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, type II diabetes and autism.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted September 25, 2014; 02:00 p.m.

A study led by Princeton University researchers found that a triple-punch of antibodies both prevented hepatitis C infection and wiped out the disease after it had established itself in laboratory mice. Instead of delivering the antibodies directly, the researchers administered a genetic "instruction set" that, once in a cell, developed into antibodies that target the portions of the virus that do not mutate.

The fall foliage season in some areas of the United States could come much later and possibly last a little longer by the end of the century as climate change causes summer temperatures to linger later into the year, according to Princeton University researchers. The delay could result in a longer growing season that would affect carbon uptake, agriculture, water supplies and animal behavior, among many other areas.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted September 17, 2014; 10:30 a.m.

Princeton University scientists and engineers were directly involved in the recent detection of an elusive subatomic particle forged in the sun's core, which was the crowning achievement of a 25-year international effort to design and build one of the most sensitive neutrino detectors in the world.

Magnetic reconnection in the Earth and sun's atmospheres can trigger geomagnetic storms that disrupt cell phone service, damage satellites and blackout power grids. In a new paper, scientists at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Princeton University have taken a key step toward understanding this unsolved problem in plasma astrophysics.

A six-year, $21 million program by Princeton University and 10 partner institutions will seek to make the importance and health of the Southern Ocean encircling Antarctica better known scientifically and publicly. The Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling program, or SOCCOM, will create a biogeochemical and physical portrait of the ocean using an expanded computational capacity and hundreds of robotic floats deployed around Antarctica.

A study led by Princeton University researchers found that a pond-dwelling, single-celled organism has the remarkable ability to break its own DNA into nearly a quarter-million pieces and rapidly reassemble those pieces when it's time to mate. This elaborate process could provide a template for understanding how chromosomes in more complex animals such as humans break apart and reassemble, as can happen during the onset of cancer.

Princeton University researchers offer a new theory that an early-life injury to the cerebellum disrupts the brain's processing of external and internal information and leads to "developmental diaschisis," wherein a loss of function in one brain region leads to problems in another. Applied to autism, cerebellar injury could hinder how other areas of the brain interpret external stimuli and organize internal processes.

The world's accounting system for carbon emissions, run by the United Nations, disregards capital investments in future coal-fired and natural-gas power plants that will commit the world to several decades and billions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study from Princeton University and the University of California-Irvine.

Princeton University researchers have developed a way to use a laser to measure people's blood sugar, and, with more work to shrink the laser system to a portable size, the technique could allow diabetics to check their condition without pricking themselves to draw blood.

Anyone who has ever had a glass of fizzy soda knows that bubbles can throw tiny particles into the air. But in a finding with wide industrial applications, Princeton researchers have demonstrated that the bursting bubbles push some particles down into the liquid as well.

Princeton University mathematician Manjul Bhargava was awarded the 2014 Fields Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in mathematics, in recognition of his work in the geometry of numbers. The International Mathematical Union (IMU) presents the medal every four years to researchers under the age of 40 based on the influence of their existing work and on their "promise of future achievement."

By Molly Sharlach, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted August 7, 2014; 01:23 p.m.

In the first evidence that natural selection favors an individual's infection tolerance, researchers from Princeton University and the University of Edinburgh have found that an animal's ability to endure an internal parasite strongly influences its reproductive success. The finding could provide the groundwork for boosting the resilience of humans and livestock to infection.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted June 26, 2014; 12:00 p.m.

A team led by Princeton University researchers has found that a gene known as Metadherin promotes the survival of tumor-initiating cells via the interaction with a second molecule called SND1. The finding could suggest new treatment strategies.

Researchers from Princeton University and the Free University of Berlin found that taste-related metaphors such as "sweet" actually engage the emotional centers of the brain more than literal words such as "kind" that have the same meaning. If metaphors in general elicit a similar emotional response, that could mean that figurative language presents a "rhetorical advantage" when communicating with others.

Princeton University researchers merged two powerful areas of research to enable an unprecedented chemical reaction that neither could broadly achieve on its own. The resulting bond formation could provide an excellent shortcut for chemists as they construct and test thousands of molecules to find new drugs.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted June 18, 2014; 01:00 p.m.

Using computer models, Princeton University researchers found that as water freezes it takes on a sort of split personality wherein, at very cold temperatures and above a certain pressure, it may spontaneously split into two liquid forms. Finding this dual nature could lead to a better understanding of how water behaves in high-altitude clouds, which could improve the predictive ability of current weather and climate models.

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory has received $4.3 million of DOE funding, over three years, to develop an increased understanding of the role of plasma in the synthesis of nanoparticles. Such particles, which are measured in billionths of a meter, are prized for their use in everything from golf clubs and swimwear to microchips, paints and pharmaceutical products.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted May 16, 2014; 09:00 a.m.

Scientists at Princeton University have made a step forward in developing a new class of materials that could be used in future technologies. They have discovered a new quantum effect that enables electrons — the negative-charge-carrying particles that make today's electronic devices possible — to dash through the interior of these materials with very little resistance.
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Princeton University senior and mathematics major Eugene Katsevich is one of 15 college seniors and first-year graduate students nationwide to be named 2014 Hertz Fellows by the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation. The fellows, who were selected from 800 applicants, will receive a stipend and full tuition support valued at $250,000 for up to five years of graduate study in the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences.

The National Nuclear Security Administration has named Princeton University and the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory as participants in a new $25 million, five-year project to address technology and policy issues related to nuclear arms control.

Yakov Sinai, a Princeton University professor of mathematics, was awarded the 2014 Abel Prize by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters for his influential 50-year career in mathematics. The award is one of the most prestigious in the field of mathematics and includes a $1 million prize.

Princeton University professor Michael Oppenheimer will be available to comment on the upcoming release of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which will examine the risks and consequences of climate change for humans and nature, and the ways to adapt to them. Oppenheimer is a coordinating lead author of the report, which is the second part of the Fifth Assessment Report from the IPCC, an organization under the auspices of the United Nations that periodically evaluates the effects of climate change.

Princeton University researchers have discovered that the pitch and tempo of the male fruit fly's mating song is based on environmental cues rather than a stereotyped pattern. These findings could be substantial for understanding rapid decision-making in more advanced beings such as humans.

By Catherine Shen for the Office of Engineering Communications Â· Posted March 5, 2014; 04:00 p.m.

The Innovation Forum, sponsored by Princeton's Keller Center for the ninth year, took place Feb. 26 before an audience of nearly 200 people in the University's Carl A. Fields Center. Ten teams pitched the commercial potential of research ranging from advances in medicine to painless tattoo removal.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted March 4, 2014; 12:00 p.m.

A new initiative to encourage bold and creative research at Princeton University is poised to bear fruit: The first annual Dean for Research Innovation Funds have been awarded to a group of projects that push the boundaries of research in the natural sciences, encourage research partnerships with industry, and facilitate collaborations between investigators in the arts and the sciences or engineering.

Princeton University and University of Michigan researchers have developed a system that allows computers to "virtually dissect" a kidney in a way that surgery cannot. The machine uses data from an array of gene-activity measurements in patients' kidney biopsies to mathematically separate cells and identify genes that are turned on in a specific cell type.

Along with eggs, soup and rubber toys, the list of the chicken's most lasting legacies may eventually include advanced materials, according to researchers from Princeton University and Washington University in St. Louis. The researchers report that the unusual arrangement of cells in a chicken's eye constitutes the first known biological occurrence of a potentially new state of matter known as "disordered hyperuniformity," which has been shown to have unique physical properties.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted January 17, 2014; 12:00 p.m.

Enhanced cybersecurity, non-scarring tattoo removal, 3-D photography and a laser-scanning device are the four projects selected this year for Princeton University's Intellectual Property Accelerator Fund, which supports discoveries that have significant potential for further development into products or services. The roughly $100,000 each researcher receives enables the prototyping and testing that technologies need to attract interest from startups, or from established companies looking for innovative products.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted January 16, 2014; 12:00 p.m.

In a laboratory under a mountain 80 miles east of Rome this fall, a Princeton-led international team switched on a new experiment aimed at finding a mysterious substance that makes up a quarter of the universe but has never been seen. The experiment, known as DarkSide-50, is searching for particles of dark matter, and finding it will solidify our understanding of how the universe formed and shed light on its ultimate fate, researchers say.
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Princeton University psychology professor Michael Graziano has developed a new theory of consciousness he calls the "attention schema theory" that takes a completely different approach to explaining consciousness. In Graziano's theory, awareness is not a non-physical essence. Instead, the brain is an information-processing device that constructs a description of itself as conscious, and also attributes that property of consciousness to others.

Princeton University researchers have discovered that bacteria prevent layabouts from enjoying the fruit of others' hard work by keeping food generated by the community's productive members away from those microbes that attempt to live on others' leftovers. The process could have uses in agriculture, energy and medicine, as well as provide insight into how species protect themselves from the freeloaders of their kind.

Princeton University-led researchers report that the coexistence of two opposing phenomena might be the secret to understanding how materials known as high-temperature superconductors — heralded as the future of powering our homes and communities — actually work. Such insight could help spur the further development of high-efficiency electric-power delivery.

Researchers at Princeton University and the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have launched a new center to study the heliosphere, the complex and frequently violent region of space that encompasses the solar system. The Princeton Center for Heliospheric Physics aims to sharpen the capacity to predict solar eruptions and to deepen understanding of the plasma flows and magnetic forces that emanate from the sun.

Princeton University-led research suggests that even if carbon-dioxide emissions came to a sudden halt, the carbon dioxide already in Earth's atmosphere could continue to warm our planet for hundreds of years. Thus, it might take a lot less carbon than previously thought to reach the global temperature scientists deem unsafe.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted November 7, 2013; 04:15 p.m.

Narrow stripes of dirt and rock beneath massive Antarctic glaciers create friction zones that slow the flow of ice toward the sea, researchers at Princeton University and the British Antarctic Survey have found. Understanding how these high-friction regions form and subside could help researchers understand how the flow of these glaciers responds to a warming climate.

Princeton University-led researchers report that the total deforestation of the Amazon could mean 20 percent less rain for the coastal Northwest and a 50 percent reduction in the Sierra Nevada snowpack, resulting in water and food shortages, and a greater risk of forest fires. The research is intended to highlight how the destruction of the Amazon rainforest could affect climate elsewhere.

Researchers based at Princeton University found that Earth's terrestrial ecosystems have absorbed 186 billion to 192 billion tons of carbon since the mid-20th century, which has significantly contained the global temperature and levels of carbon in the atmosphere.

By Tara Thean for the Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted October 15, 2013; 12:00 p.m.

Researchers at Princeton University have found that microRNAs — small bits of genetic material capable of repressing the expression of certain genes — may serve as both therapeutic targets and predictors of metastasis, or a cancer’s spread from its initial site to other parts of the body.

Research conducted through Princeton University found that erratic rainfall — which could become more irregular as a result of climate change — could be detrimental to animals that migrate with the dry-wet seasonal cycle. The researchers studied the annual mating migration of the land-dwelling Christmas Island red crab in order to help scientists understand the consequences of climate change for the millions of migratory animals in Earth's tropical zones.

Princeton University researchers have been significantly involved in the 50-year endeavor to observe the Higgs boson, a particle theorized to be crucial to understanding the nature of the world around us. On Oct. 8, the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Peter Higgs and FranÃ§ois Englert, two physicists who, in separate 1964 papers, proposed the basis of the particle's existence, the Higgs mechanism.

Princeton University professor Michael Oppenheimer is available to comment on the Sept. 27 release of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to examine the connection between greenhouse gases and human-made climate change and its consequences, such as extreme heat, intense precipitation and sea-level rise. Titled "Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis," it is the first part of the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report.

A Princeton University-based study found that a unique housing arrangement between trees in the legume family and the carbo-loading rhizobia bacteria may determine how well tropical forests can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The findings suggest that the role of tropical forests in offsetting the atmospheric buildup of carbon from fossil fuels depends on tree diversity.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted September 13, 2013; 12:15 p.m.

The cyclic wobble of the Earth on its axis controls the production of a nutrient essential to the health of the ocean, according to a new study in the journal Nature. The discovery of factors that control this nutrient, known as "fixed" nitrogen, gives researchers insight into how the ocean regulates its own life-support system, which in turn affects the Earth's climate and the size of marine fisheries.Â

New research based at Princeton University shows that the trick to predicting when and where sea animals will relocate due to climate change is to follow the pace and direction of temperature changes, known as climate velocity.

Researchers at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed a novel technique and device for rapidly pasteurizing eggs in the shell without damaging the delicate egg white. The process could lead to a sharp reduction in illnesses caused by egg-borne salmonella bacteria, a widespread public health concern.

By the Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted August 16, 2013; 09:00 a.m.

Stunning images of the Andromeda Galaxy are among the first to emerge from a new wide-field camera installed on the enormous Subaru Telescope called the Hyper-Suprime Cam (HSC), which is the result of an international collaboration between Princeton University astrophysicists and Japanese and Taiwanese scientists.

Researchers from Princeton University and the University of California-Berkeley report that even slight spikes in temperature and precipitation greatly increase the risk of personal and civil violence, and suggest that more human conflict is a likely outcome of climate change.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted July 22, 2013; 01:00 p.m.

In a twist on "survival of the fittest," Princeton University researchers have discovered that evolution is driven not by a single beneficial mutation but rather by a group of mutations, including ones called "genetic hitchhikers" that are simply along for the ride.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted July 11, 2013; 12:00 p.m.

On a late night in February 2011, two Princeton University researchers packed a small object into a box and set it out for the morning mail. The engineers had spent four years developing a new type of microscope lens that focuses in response to sound waves. They were sending their invention to their first customer.Â Two years and a lot of hard work later, their invention, the TAG Optics Lens 2.0, has a customer base spanning from Japan to Germany.

A research team based at Princeton University found that physical activity reorganizes the brain so that its response to stress is reduced and anxiety is less likely to interfere with normal brain function.

Princeton University research suggests that ethnic segregation — and potential ethnic tension — in nations straddling the world's steepest terrains may be reinforced by the biological tolerance different peoples have to altitude, according to one of the first studies to examine the effect of elevation on ethnic demographics

Researchers from Princeton University and Germany's Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization report the first purely physical experimental evidence that an invisible and chaotic tug-of-war known as a chimera state could occur naturally within any process that relies on spontaneous synchronization, including clock pendulums, power grids and heart valves.

Four Princeton University researchers took part in the June 11 report, "A Stronger, More Resilient New York," a comprehensive analysis of New York City's climate risks and proposed steps for preparing for future climate events.

Pebbles and sand scattered near an ancient Martian river network may present the most convincing evidence yet that the frigid deserts of the Red Planet were once a habitable environment traversed by flowing water, scientists with NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission and Princeton University report in the journal Science.

Princeton University alumnus David Donoho, the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Humanities and Sciences and a professor of statistics at Stanford University, today was named the 2013 Shaw Laureate in mathematics. A member of Princeton's Class of 1978, Donoho was recognized for his work to get a more detailed analysis out of large numerical data sets.

The potential cancellation of the NASA Kepler satellite mission would mark the end of an unparalleled source of information about planets and planetary systems outside of Earth's solar system, known as exoplanets, according to Princeton University astrophysicist GÃ¡spÃ¡r Bakos, who studies exoplanets and has discovered more than 40.

Princeton University senior Sofia Quinodoz took on two theses that pertain to an unseen and not fully understood action that is nonetheless felt by those it afflicts, be it in the form of an infection or the void of a loved one suddenly erased.

Researchers based at Princeton University, the California Institute of Technology and Ashima Research suggest that Mars' roughly 3.5-mile high Mount Sharp most likely emerged as strong winds carried dust and sand into Gale Crater where the mound sits. If correct, the research could dilute expectations that the mound is the remnant of a massive lake, which would have important implications for understanding Mars' past habitability.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted April 26, 2013; 01:00 p.m.

A multi-institutional study including researchers from Princeton University's Physical Sciences-Oncology Center found that cancer cells that can break out of a tumor and invade other organs are more aggressive and nimble than nonmalignant cells.

Scientists at Princeton University and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are developing a unique process to verify that nuclear weapons to be dismantled or removed from deployment contain true warheads. The system would do so without measuring classified information that could lead to nuclear proliferation if the data were to be leaked.

Princeton University researchers found that the brain breaks experiences into the "events," or related groups that help us mentally organize the day's many situations, using subconscious mental categories it creates. These categories are based on how the considers people, objects and actions are related in terms of how they tend to — or tend not to — pop up near one another at specific times.

Most term papers are evaluated by one or two people, but Carlee Joe-Wong's will be checked by hundreds.Â The paper, completed in 2010 as part of a junior-year independent project at Princeton University, has evolved into a research project involving wireless operators like AT&T and 1,000 participating wireless customers with mobile data plans. Along the way, it has also led to the development of a popular free app.

By Staff Â· Posted March 22, 2013; 11:30 a.m.

Alexander Polyakov, Princeton University's Joseph Henry Professor of Physics, was honored with the 2013 Fundamental Physics Prize for his lasting work in field and string theory. The $3 million prize was presented during a March 20 ceremony in Geneva by the Fundamental Physics Foundation.

As public health officials sound the alarm about the global spread of drug-resistant bacteria, researchers are working to develop more effective antibiotics to counter this dangerous trend. Now, results from a team including a Princeton University scientist offer a possible solution that uses the bacteria's own byproducts to destroy them.

The presence of endangered cats and primates in swamp forests might be seriously overlooked. Princeton research concludes that swamp forests beg further exploration as places where endangered species have preserved their numbers — and where humans could potentially preserve them into the future.

Princeton University researchers developed a model that can help determine the future range of nearly any disease-causing parasite under climate change, even if little is known about the organism. Their method calculates how the projected temperature change for an area would alter the creature's metabolism and life cycle.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted February 22, 2013; 09:00 a.m.

Despite years of research, the genetic factors behind many human diseases and characteristics remain unknown, and has been called the "missing heritability" problem. A new study by Princeton University researchers, however, suggests that heritability in humans may be hidden due only to the limitations of modern research tools, but could be discovered if scientists know where (and how) to look.
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Princeton University researchers report in the journal Science that collective intelligence is vital to certain animals' ability to evaluate and respond to their environment. The results should prompt a close examination of how endangered group or herd animals are preserved and managed because wild animals that depend on collective intelligence for migration, breeding and locating essential resources could be imperiled by any activity that diminishes or divides the group, such as overhunting and habitat loss.
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Princeton University researchers developed a mathematical framework that strips away the differences between scientific laws and theories to reveal how the ideas are compatible. In a recent report in the journal Physical Review Letters, the authors explain how the mathematical model finds common ground between the famously at-odds physics equations that govern classical and quantum mechanics.
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The kindness of mankind most likely developed from our more sinister and self-serving tendencies, according to Princeton University and University of Arizona research that suggests society's rules against selfishness are rooted in the very exploitation they condemn.

Be it triumph or crushing defeat, exhilaration or agony, body language more accurately conveys intense emotions, according to Princeton University research that challenges the predominance of facial expressions as an indicator of how a person feels.

In mammals such as rodents that raise their young as a group, infants will nurse from their mother as well as other females, a dynamic known as allosuckling. Ecologists have long hypothesized that allosuckling lets newborns stockpile antibodies to various diseases, but the experimental proof has been lacking until now.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has joined forces with researchers in South Korea to develop a pre-conceptual design for a pioneering fusion facility in that Asian nation. The proposed device, called K-DEMO, could be completed in the mid- to late 2030s as the final step before construction of a commercial fusion power plant that would produce clean and abundant energy for generating electricity.

Princeton University researchers developed an enhanced approach to capturing changes on the Earth's surface via satellite that could provide a more accurate account of how geographic areas are changing as a result of natural and human factors. In a first application, the technique revealed sharper-than-ever details about Greenland's massive ice sheet, including that the rate at which it is melting might be accelerating more slowly than predicted.

The United States could eliminate the need for crude oil by using a combination of coal, natural gas and non-food crops to make synthetic fuel, a team of Princeton researchers led by chemical and biological engineering professor Christodoulos Floudas has found.

Princeton University researchers report that an efficient, high-volume technique developed at Princeton for testing potential drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease uncovered an organic compound that restored motor function and longevity to fruit flies with the disease.

Researchers from Princeton University, the Bank of England and the University of Oxford applied methods inspired by ecosystem stability and contagion models to banking meltdowns and found that large national and international banks wield an influence and potentially destructive power that far exceeds their actual size. As a result, the capital that current regulations require large banks to maintain should be based on the institution's systemic importance.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted November 8, 2012; 04:00 p.m.

Princeton neuroscientists have been awarded a $4 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to explore how the human brain enables us to pursue goals and juggle priorities in an environment full of distractions.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted November 5, 2012; 11:00 a.m.

New research suggests that just one or two individual herpes virus particles attack a skin cell in the first stage of an outbreak, resulting in a bottleneck in which the infection may be vulnerable to medical treatment.

Princeton University research suggests that knowledge of a species' genes — and how certain external conditions affect the proteins encoded by those genes — could be used to determine a predictable evolutionary pattern driven by outside factors. Scientists could then pinpoint how the diversity of adaptations seen in the natural world developed even in distantly related animals.

By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Â· Posted October 9, 2012; 10:30 a.m.

Medicines could be made to have fewer side effects and work in smaller doses with the help of a synthetic enzyme developed at Princeton University that makes drug molecules more resistant to breakdown by the human liver.

Microorganisms that crashed to Earth embedded in the fragments of distant planets might have been the sprouts of life on this one, according to new research from Princeton University, the University of Arizona and the Centro de AstrobiologÃ­a (CAB) in Spain. The researchers provide the strongest support yet for "lithopanspermia," the idea that life came to Earth — or spread from Earth to other planets — via meteorite-like planetary fragments cast forth by disruptions such as volcanic eruptions and collisions with other matter.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted September 20, 2012; 11:30 a.m.

Stuart Leland has been named Princeton University's first director for research integrity and assurance, to which he brings 20 years of experience in laboratory research and in research compliance. His appointment was effective Aug. 15.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted September 3, 2012; 12:00 p.m.

GÃ¡spÃ¡r Bakos, Princeton University assistant professor of astrophysical sciences, brings his research on exoplanets and small telescopes together with a network of six, fully automated telescopes he developed that scan the sky every night for planets outside Earth's solar system — with 41 planets and counting discovered so far.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted August 17, 2012; 01:30 p.m.

Princeton University researchers report that a mysterious region deep in the human brain could be where we sort through the onslaught of stimuli from the outside world and focus on the information most important to our behavior and survival.

By John Sullivan Â· Posted July 31, 2012; 01:00 p.m.

A team of Princeton University researchers, led by Assistant Professor of Computer Science Michael Freedman, has released a plan to cut through that tangle and provide a simple solution to many of the problems involved with the Internet's growing pains. Called Serval, the system makes a small change to the way programs download and manage data that could have a big impact on the future development of the Web.

By John Sullivan Â· Posted July 18, 2012; 12:00 p.m.

A team of Princeton University engineers has a solution that could radically cut power use. Through a new software technique, researchers from the School of Engineering and Applied Science have opened the door for companies to use a new type of memory in their servers that demands far less energy than the current systems.

By Catherine Zandonella Â· Posted July 4, 2012; 10:00 a.m.

A team of Princeton University physicists and students have made major contributions to the hunt for the Higgs boson, a particle much smaller than an atom theorized to be crucial to understanding the nature of the world around us.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted July 2, 2012; 03:25 p.m.

On July 4, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) will announce the latest results in the multinational search for the Higgs boson, a particle thought to be a key to understanding how fundamental particles such as quarks and electrons acquire mass. Princeton University researchers involved in the search for the Higgs boson are available to comment on the announcement and provide background on the project.

By Gale Scott Â· Posted June 28, 2012; 12:00 p.m.

Scientists at Princeton University are composing the complex codes designed to instruct a new class of powerful computers that will allow researchers to tackle problems that were previously too difficult to solve. These supercomputers, operating at a speed called the "exascale," will produce realistic simulations of dazzlingly complex phenomena in nature such as fusion reactions, earthquakes and climate change.

By Steven Schultz Â· Posted June 25, 2012; 02:00 p.m.

A laboratory test used to detect disease and perform biological research could be made more than 3 million times more sensitive, according to Princeton University researchers who combined standard biological tools with a breakthrough in nanotechnology.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted June 20, 2012; 09:00 a.m.

Two recent studies based at Princeton University suggest that the oral-facial component of human speech evolved from lip smacking, a friendly back-and-forth gesture performed by primates such as chimpanzees, baboons and macaques. The studies suggest a separate neural control for facial mechanics in primates that could help illuminate the neurological basis of speech disorders in humans.

By Catherine Zandonella Â· Posted June 13, 2012; 02:00 p.m.

A Princeton University-led team of scientists has shown how electrons moving in certain solids can behave as though they are a thousand times more massive than free electrons, yet at the same time act as speedy superconductors.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted May 30, 2012; 09:00 a.m.

Princeton University researchers have found that herpes and other viruses that attack the nervous system may thrive by disrupting cell function in order to hijack a neuron's internal transportation network and spread to other cells.

By John Sullivan Â· Posted May 29, 2012; 10:00 a.m.

Using silk strands pulled from cocoons and gold wires thinner than a spider's web, researchers at Princeton University have created a removable tattoo that adheres to dental enamel and could eventually monitor a patient's health with unprecedented sensitivity.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted May 23, 2012; 01:00 p.m.

The influence of the ground beneath us on the air around us could be greater than scientists had previously thought, according to new Princeton University research that links the long-ago proliferation of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere to a sudden change in the inner workings of our planet.

By Catherine Zandonella Â· Posted May 8, 2012; 10:00 a.m.

A nitrogen sensor that can monitor environmental change, a "no-frills" quantum computer and a laboratory small enough to fit inside a single cell are the three technologies selected to receive support this year at Princeton University from the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund.

By Catherine Zandonella Â· Posted May 7, 2012; 12:00 p.m.

In pursuing cancer treatment for her dog, Olga Troyanskaya, a computational biologist at Princeton University, started a research collaboration with canine oncologist Karin Sorenmoto with the potential to learn more about cancer, possibly leading to new treatments for dogs and humans as well.

By John Sullivan Â· Posted April 30, 2012; 12:07 p.m.

A massive expansion of hydropower planned for the Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia could have a catastrophic impact on the river's fishery and millions of people who depend on it, according to a new study by researchers including scientists from Princeton University.

By Steven Schultz Â· Posted April 27, 2012; 04:07 p.m.

Converting a standard shipping container into a sustainable source of energy for remote or disaster-torn regions, a team of Princeton University students took top honors in an 18-month national competition that culminated April 21 and 22 on the Washington, D.C., Mall.

By Staff Â· Posted April 27, 2012; 10:30 a.m.

Princeton University faculty members Bonnie Bassler, Brent Shaw and Christopher Sims were among 35 new members recently elected to the American Philosophical Society (APS), the nation's oldest scholarly organization.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted April 26, 2012; 09:00 a.m.

Princeton University researchers have found that the expectation that life — from bacteria to sentient beings — has or will develop on other planets as on Earth might be based more on optimism than scientific evidence.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted April 24, 2012; 10:00 a.m.

Princeton University researchers have observed a self-degradation response to the antidepressant Zoloft in yeast cells that could help provide new answers to lingering questions among scientists about how antidepressants work, as well as support the idea that depression is not solely linked to the neurotransmitter serotonin.

By John Greenwald Â· Posted April 23, 2012; 05:00 p.m.

Physicists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have discovered a possible solution to a mystery that has long baffled researchers working to harness fusion. If confirmed by experiment, the finding could help scientists eliminate a major impediment to the development of fusion as a clean and abundant source of energy for producing electric power.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted April 18, 2012; 12:00 p.m.

Molecular biology major Kristan Scott focused his senior thesis on a mutant gene linked not only to colorectal cancer but also to the cancer’s ability to resist chemotherapy. Working with special yeast cells created in the lab of his thesis adviser, Senior Lecturer Alison Gammie, Scott helped figure out the combination of cancer treatments that restored sensitivity to chemotherapy — a result that suggests a potential new chemotherapeutic approach for treating certain cancers.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted April 4, 2012; 01:30 p.m.

A Princeton University report reveals that disparities in socioeconomic characteristics can account for 80 percent of the life-expectancy divide between black and white men, and for 70 percent of the imbalance between black and white women. The study is one of the first to put a number on how much of the divide can be attributed to racial differences in factors such as income, education and marital status.

By John Greenwald Â· Posted March 30, 2012; 10:04 a.m.

Princeton University and the Max Planck Society of Germany have joined forces in a scientific collaboration that is designed to accelerate progress in cutting-edge research ranging from harnessing nuclear fusion to understanding solar storms.

By Catherine Zandonella Â· Posted March 26, 2012; 12:00 p.m.

The fusing together of atoms releases vast amounts of energy, but the process can take place only at extremely high temperatures. For fusion to be the basis of the power plant of the future, scientists need to find ways to keep the process from cooling. By using his expertise in surface chemistry, chemical and biological engineering professor Bruce Koel is working with scientists at the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab to address this goal.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted March 20, 2012; 08:00 a.m.

A project initiated at Princeton made the first observation of a cosmic effect theorized 40 years ago that could provide astronomers with a more precise tool for understanding the forces behind the universe's formation and growth, including the enigmatic phenomena of dark energy and dark matter.

By Catherine Zandonella Â· Posted March 14, 2012; 02:00 p.m.

Princeton University researchers have used a novel virtual reality and brain imaging system to detect a form of neural activity underlying how the brain forms short-term memories that are used in making decisions.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted March 5, 2012; 12:00 p.m.

In a perspective on the future of mathematics at Princeton, Sun-Yung Alice Chang, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Mathematics and chair of the Department of Mathematics, discusses the department's current and burgeoning strengths, its recent popularity with students, and the effort to attract more women to a traditionally male-dominated field.

By Carol Peters Â· Posted March 5, 2012; 09:33 a.m.

Waterways in remote, pristine tropical forests located in the Caribbean and Central America contain levels of nitrogen comparable to amounts found in streams and rivers flowing through polluted forests in the United States and Europe. This discovery by a Princeton University-led research team raises questions about how tropical forests might respond if they were to become exposed to additional nitrogen through water and air pollution.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted February 27, 2012; 09:00 a.m.

Princeton University-based researchers have found that an emerging class of long-lasting flu vaccines calledÂ "universal" vaccines could for the first time allow for the effective, wide-scale prevention of flu by limiting the virus' ability to spread and mutate. A computational model the team developed showed that the vaccines could achieve unprecedented control of the flu virus both seasonally and during outbreaks of highly contagious new strains.

By John Sullivan Â· Posted February 23, 2012; 12:00 p.m.

In a development that could assist with disaster relief and water development projects in stricken regions of Africa, researchers at Princeton University have developed a way to use historical records and satellite data to accurately map drought conditions across the continent.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted February 21, 2012; 12:30 p.m.

Researchers from Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that projected increases in sea level and storm intensity brought on by climate change would make devastating storm surges — the deadly and destructive mass of water pushed inland by large storms — more frequent in low-lying coastal areas. Regions such as the New York City metropolitan area that currently experience a disastrous flood every century could instead become submerged every one or two decades.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted February 20, 2012; 12:00 p.m.

Princeton University researchers conducted two large-scale studies in Kenya that offer the first experimental evidence that allowing cattle to graze on the same land as wild animals can result in healthier, meatier bovines by enhancing the cows' diet. The findingsÂ put to pasture the long-held convention that wild animals compete with cows for food, and could help spare wildlife from encroaching ranches.Â

By Catherine Zandonella Â· Posted February 1, 2012; 02:17 p.m.

Five Princeton faculty teams are the new recipients of support from a University fund designed to help propel promising discoveries out of the laboratory into products and technologies that can benefit society.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted January 26, 2012; 05:00 p.m.

Survey results published by Princeton University researchers in the journal PLoS ONE suggest that a family history of psychiatric conditions such as autism and depression could influence the subjects a person finds engaging. Although preliminary, the findings provide a new look at the oft-studied linkÂ between psychiatric conditions and aptitude in the arts or sciences.

By John Sullivan Â· Posted January 11, 2012; 03:00 p.m.

Princeton University engineers Alexei Tyryshkin and Stephen Lyon have choreographed the dance of 100 billion electrons across a silicon crystal — an impressive achievement on its own — and also a stride toward developing the technology for powerful machines known as quantum computers.

By John Greenwald Â· Posted January 9, 2012; 10:00 a.m.

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is getting an earlier-than-expected start on a $94 million project as the next stage of its mission to chart an attractive course for the development of nuclear fusion as a clean, safe and abundant fuel for generating electricity.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted December 15, 2011; 02:00 p.m.

A Princeton University-based research team reports in ScienceÂ that uninformed individuals — as in those with no prior knowledge or strong feelings on a situation's outcome —Â can actually be vital to achieving a democratic consensus.Â These individualsÂ tend to side with and embolden the numerical majority andÂ dilute the influence of powerful minority factions who would otherwise dominate everyone else.Â This finding — based on group decision-making experiments on fish, as well as mathematical models and computer simulations —Â challenges the common notion that an outspoken minority can manipulate uncommitted voters andÂ can ultimately provide insights into humans' political behavior.

By Ruth Stevens Â· Posted December 13, 2011; 12:00 p.m.

Princeton University alumnus Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com, and alumna MacKenzie Bezos, are donating $15 million to the University to create a center in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. The gift will establish the Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics, which will be led by institute co-director David Tank.Â

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted December 8, 2011; 02:00 p.m.

Princeton University-led researchers report in the journal Science that satellite images of nighttime lights normally used to spot where people live can help keep tabs on the diseases festering among them, too.

By Ushma Patel Â· Posted December 5, 2011; 12:00 a.m.

Princeton University neuroscientist Uri Hasson strives to make research conditions in his lab as true to real life as possible, using uncommon subject matter —including slapstick comedy and high-school melodrama — in his studies. Hasson, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, is exploring the underlying neural mechanisms of both the processes that allow the brain to integrate information over time and those that facilitate communication between people.Â

By Catherine Zandonella Â· Posted November 30, 2011; 12:00 p.m.

After several years of planning and more than a year of construction, Princeton University's High-Performance Computing Research Center opened its doors this week. Situated on the Forrestal campus, the facility gives researchers on campus new capacity to tackle some of the world's most complex scientific challenges.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted November 28, 2011; 11:00 a.m.

Scientists can now take that "a-ha" moment to go with a method Princeton University researchers developed — and successfully tested —Â to accomplish "accelerated serendipity" and speed up the chances of an unexpected yet groundbreaking chemical discovery.

By Steven Schultz Â· Posted November 22, 2011; 10:00 a.m.

Conventional wisdom would say that blocking a hole would prevent light from going through it, but Princeton University engineers have discovered the opposite to be true. A research team has found that placing a metal cap over a small hole in a metal film does not stop the light at all, but rather enhances its transmission.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted November 18, 2011; 06:00 a.m.

The significant feature of the special report, "Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation,"Â released Nov. 18 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is its focus on governmental responses to climate disasters including those related to climate change, according to Michael Oppenheimer, a Princeton University professor Â and a coordinating lead author of the report.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted November 17, 2011; 09:00 a.m.

A cosmic one-two punch of colossal volcanic eruptions and meteorite strikes likely caused the mass-extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous period that is famous for killing the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, according to two Princeton University reports that reject the prevailing theory that the extinction was caused by a single large meteorite.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted November 15, 2011; 07:00 p.m.

Princeton University researchers found that invasive species can become essential to the very ecosystems threatened by their presence, taking on important biological roles — such as flower pollination — once held by the species the interlopers helped eliminate. As a result, campaigns to curb invasive animal populations should include efforts to understand the role of the invasive species in question and, if necessary, reintroduce missing native animals.

By Catherine Zandonella Â· Posted November 15, 2011; 04:33 p.m.

Science deans and educators from New Jersey's universities and colleges came to Princeton University Monday, Nov. 14, to meet with each other and with business and government leaders to discuss ways to revive the state's economy and create jobs through programs in science, technology, engineering and math.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted November 15, 2011; 03:00 p.m.

Princeton University researchers report the first climate study to focus on variations in daily weather conditions, which found that day-to-day weather has grown increasingly erratic and extreme, with significant fluctuations in sunshine and rainfall affecting more than a third of the planet. These swings could have consequences for ecosystem stability and the control of pests and diseases; industries such as agriculture and solar-energy production; and could affect what scientists can expect to see as the Earth's climate changes.

By Staff Â· Posted November 4, 2011; 05:00 p.m.

Researchers from Princeton and Harvard universities have suggested a straightforward method to aid in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence — see who's left the light on. A paper submitted to the journal AstrobiologyÂ presents a mathematical algorithm to detect and observe from EarthÂ the artificial light that would emanate from alien cities.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted October 31, 2011; 02:00 p.m.

Climate change, land use and other human-driven factors could pit savannas and forests against each other by altering the elements found by Princeton University researchers to stabilize the two. Without this harmony, the habitats, or biomes, could increasingly encroach on one other to the detriment of the people and animals that rely on them.

By John Greenwald Â· Posted October 24, 2011; 12:00 p.m.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are recreating magnetic reconnection, one of the most common but least understood phenomena in the universe. The experiments seek to unravel the secrets of magnetic reconnection and ultimately provide benefits including improved prediction of solar outbursts and dangerous geomagnetic storms; increased understanding of the formation of the sun and stars; and greater control of the nuclear fusion reactions that PPPL researchers are studying as a clean fuel for generating electric power.

By Staff Â· Posted October 21, 2011; 12:18 a.m.

President Barack Obama will nominate Princeton University molecular biologist Bonnie Bassler to serve as a member of the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation, the major source of federal funding for scientific research.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted October 19, 2011; 01:00 p.m.

Princeton University researchers have developed a new model that can not only more accurately simulate the seismic falloutÂ from a large meteorite striking the Earth, but also help reveal new information about the surface and interior of planets based on past collisions.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted September 26, 2011; 05:00 p.m.

Recent research involving Princeton astrophysics postdoctoral researcher David SpiegelÂ identifies the "darkest" planet yet observed and sets a new standard in determining just how much light "hot Jupiter" planets -- scorching balls of hydrogen and helium already known for being non-reflective -- can keep to themselves.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted September 19, 2011; 12:00 p.m.

A Princeton-led study is the first involving humans to show that yawning frequency varies with the season, a dispartity that indicates that yawning could serve as a method for regulating brain temperature.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted September 19, 2011; 11:00 a.m.

Princeton and New York University research reported in the journal Physical Review Letters this month presents a ready-made method for detectingÂ the collision of stars with an elusive type of black hole that is on the shortÂ list of objects believed to make up dark matter, the invisible substance thought to constitute much of the universe. Such a discovery could serveÂ as observable proof of dark matter and provide a much deeper understanding ofÂ the universe's inner workings.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted September 13, 2011; 05:00 p.m.

Princeton research reported in the Sept. 13 issue of the journal PLoS Medicine shows for the first time that people recovering from a serious injury -- regardless of age, gender or previous health -- exhibit similar gene activity as their condition changes, which doctors can use to predict and prepare for a patient's deterioration.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted August 31, 2011; 09:00 a.m.

Princeton researchers have for the first time matched images of brain activity with categories of words related to the concepts a person is thinking about. Reported in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, the results could lead to a better understanding of how people consider meaning and context when reading or thinking.

By Morgan Kelly Â· Posted August 22, 2011; 11:00 a.m.

Research based at Princeton University has revealed that newly fertilized cells only narrowly avoid degenerating into fatal chaos. At the same time, scientists have discovered that embryos have acquired a mechanism to contain this dangerous instability, a finding that could help biologists unravel other mysteries about the first hours of life.

By Chris Emery Â· Posted July 18, 2011; 03:05 p.m.

A Princeton University researcher and his international collaborators have used lasers to peek into the complex relationship between a single electron and its environment, a breakthrough that could aid the development of quantum computers.

By Chris Emery Â· Posted July 18, 2011; 12:00 p.m.

Seven Princeton undergraduate students have participated in a research collaboration between Princeton University and Lockheed Martin, the aerospace and defense technology corporation, to produce fiber optic-based computational devices that work similarly to neurons, but are a billion times faster.

By Nick DiUlio Â· Posted July 14, 2011; 02:00 p.m.

Being at the very top of a social hierarchy may be more costly than previously thought, according to a new study of wild baboons led by a Princeton University ecologist. A new study has found that in wild baboon populations, the highest-ranking, or alpha, males have higher stress-hormone levels than the highly ranked males below them, known as beta males -- even during periods of stability.

By Nick DiUlio Â· Posted July 11, 2011; 12:00 p.m.

After digging holes in the Earth's crust for nearly two decades, Princeton University geoscientist Tullis Onstott is now making headlines for unearthing "worms from hell." Onstott's research team, which he led with Gaetan Borgonie of the University of Ghent in Belgium, recently made a startling discovery: microscopic roundworms known as nematodes living nearly two-and-a-half miles beneath the Earth's surface in several South African gold mines.

By Chris Emery Â· Posted June 30, 2011; 12:00 p.m.

Demand continues to soar for movies, television shows, amateur videos, and video calls delivered via the Internet and mobile networks. Over the past few years, Princeton electrical engineer Mung Chiang and his team have methodically pieced together a replica of the global Internet and mobile networks to develop new ideas and systems that will help ensure that the networking infrastructure of the future will meet consumer demand.

By Gale Scott Â· Posted June 27, 2011; 12:00 a.m.

Princeton University chemist Salvatore Torquato and colleagues have solved a conundrum that has baffled mathematical minds since ancient times -- how to fill three-dimensional space with multi-sided objects other than cubes without having any gaps. The discovery could lead to scientists finding new materials and could lead to advances in communications systems and computer security.

By Steven Schultz Â· Posted June 16, 2011; 10:10 a.m.

Seeking to provide "tinkerers" with freedom to explore hunches and passions, businesswoman and philanthropist Lynn Shostack has given $10 million to permanently endow the Project X innovation fund in Princeton University's School of Engineering and Applied Science.

By Steven Schultz Â· Posted May 9, 2011; 12:40 p.m.

Technologies for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are unlikely to offer an economically feasible way to slow human-driven climate change for several decades, according to a report issued by the American Physical Society and led by Princeton engineer Robert Socolow. The report "Direct Air Capture of CO2 with Chemicals," was issued by a committee of 13 experts co-chaired by Socolow and Michael Desmond, a chemist at BP.

By Staff Â· Posted March 14, 2011; 03:15 p.m.

Members of a research team that included Princeton's Jeanne Altmann, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology emeritus, led by scientists from Duke University and Iowa State University, and brought together by the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) says the team has conducted the first-ever multi-species comparison of human aging patterns against those in wild chimps, gorillas and other primates, and their findings suggest that the human data on aging falls within the primate continuum. The findings were published in the March 11 issue of the journal Science.

By Staff Â· Posted March 8, 2011; 02:00 p.m.

Alireza Shabani, a postdoctoral research associate in chemistry at Princeton University, and an international team of scientists have removed a major obstacle in the quest to engineer quantum systems that will play a major role in the computers, communication networks and biomedical devices of the future. Through a method known as compressive sensing, the researchers say they could drastically simplify the measurement of quantum systems.

By Chris Emery Â· Posted March 4, 2011; 10:09 a.m.

Warren Powell, a professor of operations research and financial engineering at Princeton University, has used his expertise in applied mathematics to help the U.S. freight industry streamline the movement of goods and services around the country, making American companies more competitive and environmentally friendly.Â Now, as concerns about the environmental impacts of fossil fuel use have grown and new technologies have emerged, Powell has shifted his focus to study problems related to energy.

By Staff Â· Posted March 1, 2011; 05:00 p.m.

Princeton researchers have developed a new method to better understand how an embryo's basic molecular makeup helps ensure that the embryo's development occurs reliably every time. A team led by Thomas Gregor, an assistant professor of physics and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, and Shawn Little, a visiting postdoctoral research associate in the laboratory of Professor Eric Wieschaus in the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton, has published in the March 1 issue of the journal PLoS Biology results of research into the fruit fly Drosophila that introduces a method for making precise measurements of biologic units (so-called mRNA molecules) that play a key role in development.

By Chris Emery Â· Posted February 7, 2011; 04:15 p.m.

Using mathematical concepts, Princeton researchers have developed a method of discovering new drugs for a range of diseases by calculating which physical properties of biological molecules may predict their effectiveness as medicines.

By Gale Scott Â· Posted February 3, 2011; 12:00 p.m.

In a discovery that may lead to a new treatment for breast cancer that has spread to the bone, a Princeton University research team has unraveled a mystery about how these tumors take root. What the Princeton research has uncovered is the exact mechanism that lets traveling tumor cells disrupt normal bone growth.

By Chris Emery Â· Posted January 31, 2011; 02:15 p.m.

Princeton University engineers have developed a new laser-sensing technology that may allow soldiers to detect hidden bombs from a distance and scientists to better measure airborne environmental pollutants and greenhouse gases.

By Kitta MacPherson Â· Posted January 13, 2011; 12:00 p.m.

There is a fresh buzz of excitement surrounding the new Frick Chemistry Laboratory, and it isn't just the building's striking facade that has people talking. Princeton researchers say the new home of the University's Department of Chemistry presents the perfect staging area to break scientific ground, to engage students by actively involving them in cutting-edge work, and -- according to the department's leader -- to provide "the best education in undergraduate chemistry in the world."

By Kitta MacPherson Â· Posted January 6, 2011; 11:45 a.m.

In a groundbreaking achievement that could help scientists "build" new biological systems, Princeton University scientists have constructed for the first time artificial proteins that enable the growth of living cells.

By Hilary Parker Â· Posted December 17, 2010; 03:00 p.m.

A project that could enable the development of revolutionary electronics and a separate project that could dramatically improve diabetes monitoring and treatment are the first two research efforts to be supported at Princeton University from the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund. Google CEO and Princeton alumnus Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, created the $25 million endowment fund at Princeton in 2009.

By Kitta MacPherson Â· Posted December 5, 2010; 01:00 p.m.

A gene that can cause congenital heart defects has been identified by a team of scientists, including a group from Princeton University. The discovery could lead to new treatments for those affected by the conditions brought on by the birth defect.Â

By Chris Emery Â· Posted November 22, 2010; 10:00 a.m.

The federal government granted Princeton University special status as a hub for cybersecurity research. Universities with this status are designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research. The program is administered by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

By Pascale Poussart Â· Posted November 18, 2010; 09:00 a.m.

In a continuing research partnership to identify ways to tackle the world's climate problem, Princeton’s Carbon Mitigation Initiative (CMI) has received a commitment of $11 million from BP as part of an extension of their partnership first announced in October 2008.

By Kitta MacPherson Â· Posted November 16, 2010; 03:13 p.m.

A Princeton scientist with an interdisciplinary bent has taken two well-known problems in mathematics and reformulated them as a physics question, offering new tools to solve challenges relevant to a host of subjects ranging from improving data compression to detecting gravitational waves.

By Kitta MacPherson Â· Posted November 8, 2010; 11:36 a.m.

Matthias Kaschube, a lecturer in physics and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, has published in the Nov. 4 online edition of Science Express results of research into the factors determining development of the brain's neural circuits.

By Hilary Parker Â· Posted November 2, 2010; 02:09 p.m.

A new material with a split personality -- part superconductor, part metal -- has been observed by a Princeton University-led research team. The discovery may have implications for the development of next-generation electronics that could transform the way information is stored and processed.Â